Philadelphia Eagles: Steelers dominate NFC at home

PITTSBURGH — It’s easier to find parking here than it is for an NFC team to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

In either case you need a little luck.

The Eagles fortunately have a lucky horseshoe in quarterback Michael Vick when they oppose the Steelers on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox 29, WIP 94.1-FM).

Vick has won here. He’s won seven of his last eight starts against those AFC teams that have been a major headache for head coach Andy Reid.

“You have to have the right mindset to go in there and to win,” Vick said. “You have to have a great group of guys who believe in themselves, first and foremost. They have great players, starting with a great quarterback and a defense to complement that. You’ve just to go in there and find a way to get it done.”

With losses in two of their first three games, the Steelers are in the claw-with-your-fingernails mode. There are reasons they’re 1-2. Injuries to safety Troy Polamalu, running back Rashard Mendenhall and linebacker James Harrison didn’t help. All are expected to play Sunday.

There’s also a reason the Steelers haven’t lost back-to-back games in three years, head coach Mike Tomlin is 9-1 and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 13-1 against the NFC in Steeltown. And why the Steelers have won 26 of their last 32 starts against the NFC.

Forewarned is forearmed. Look for the Steelers to play a physical Ravens-style game with bullying tactics.

“One-and-two coming off a bye, shoot, you know you’re going to get everything they’ve got,” Eagles cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. “It’s like they’ve got a must-win, so we know we’re going into a dogfight.”

The Eagles are fifth in the NFL in yards per scrimmage, churning out 417.8 per game. They’re seventh in rushing offense (145.8 average).

For all of their work the Eagles have scored just 66 points. Only the Colts and the Jaguars, a combined 2-5, have scored fewer.

Last week the Eagles balanced the pass-to-run ratio that was out of whack. Instead of the bombs-away attack, which helped produce what still is a league-leading 12 giveaways, the Eagles instructed Vick to play more small-ball. Voila, a turnover-free game. The Eagles need an encore performance to have a chance to beat the Steelers.

“I’ve always felt I could play that way,” Vick said. “Sometimes you’re just in situations where you try to force things and make things happen. Sometimes that can be kryptonite for a quarterback. When you know you can get it done and you try so hard you don’t let it come naturally. Sometimes it can hurt you. So you learn to play within the system and just try to do that over and over again.”

As Vick goes, so goes the offense.

Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy is third in the NFL in rushing but has just one touchdown.

DeSean Jackson leads the Eagles in receptions and receiving yardage but has only one TD.

Defensively the Eagles have to make Ben Roethlisberger uncomfortable. One of the issues there is the 6-5, 241-pound Roethlisberger likes uncomfortable. No one, not even Vick, keeps plays alive longer than Roethlisberger.

“He’s about 260, 270 pounds, so arm tackles aren’t going to tackle him in the pocket,” linebacker Jamar Chaney said. “Grabbing one leg or something like that won’t work or sacking him with one arm. Most quarterbacks, you probably can do that. When he gets outside the pocket, some of their receivers just take off down the field and he just throws it up.”

The Eagles practiced scramble drills where they simulated Roethlisberger extending plays. Defenders have to lock in on receivers while the linemen and linebackers have to hustle back if Roethlisberger breaks containment.

The Steelers lead the league in third down offense, converting 56.3 percent of their chances.

The Eagles are third in third-down defense, allowing a conversion rate of just 26.9 percent. The red zone defense is just as tough. Only four teams have allowed fewer touchdowns than the Eagles, who have allowed eight.

Tomlin is particularly impressed with the third-down defense, but he hasn’t had to say a lot to get the attention of his players this week.

“It’s a big game on a lot of fronts,” Tomlin said. “Obviously we need to respond from a subpar performance. That makes it big. It’s at home in front of our fans. That’s always big. And we’re playing a really good football team in the Philadelphia Eagles. So there’s a lot to be excited about. The big thing is we need to respond in the correct way.

“Ultimately we’ve got to play and play well.”

The Eagles, like the NFC teams before them, figure to find out how difficult that is, along with the parking in what affectionately has been called the biggest small town in America.